On Thursday, May 19, AAHOA President and CEO Laura Lee Blake and Keith Miller, of Franchisee Advocacy Consulting, both testified on key franchise issues before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). One of the key roles of the FTC is protecting American consumers. At the virtual open commission meeting, Blake and Miller both spoke about the nuances of the franchisee and franchisor relationship and the many unfair practices in the franchising industry, especially for hoteliers. They both raised concerns that AAHOA Members have brought to their attention, concerns that they say have gotten increasingly worse in recent years.

 

One of those concerns is “preferred” vendor mandates imposed on the franchisees, and the franchisors’ receipt of rebates, commissions, kickbacks, services, or other considerations from these vendors without fully disclosing them to the franchisees.

AAHOA Lifetime Member and former Board Member Pratik Bhakta has won the GOP primary for NC House District 115. Though initial counts resulted in a tie, a hand-eye recount led to him gaining one vote.

 

Bhakta was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. when he was only six years old. Although he didn’t speak English when he first moved to the U.S., he quickly learned the language thanks to his father's encouragement to make education a top priority. Fast forward to the future, and Bhakta has a Bachelor of Science degree from NC State University, over 25 years of hospitality experience under his belt, and won the race for Republican primary for NC House District 115.

 

Through his various roles at AAHOA and involvement with other industry associations, Bhakta has seen first-hand the difference playing an active role in local advocacy work makes in the day-to-day lives of small business owners. In North Carolina, AAHOA Members own 67.7% of the hotels and contribute $9.3 billion to the state’s GDP. As a fierce advocate of AAHOA and the industry, we know Bhakta’s forward-thinking approach will help small business owners and the NC community thrive. AAHOA congratulates Bhakta on an excellent campaign and a well-deserved win!  

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